Words Blood Quote by Dante Alighieri
““those cries rose from among the twisted roots through which the spirits of the damned were slinking to hide from us. Therefore my Master said: 'If you break off a twig, what you will learn will drive what you are thinking from your head.' Puzzled, I raised my hand a bit and slowly broke off a branchlet from an enormous thorn: and the great trunk of it cried: 'Why do you break me?' And after blood had darkened all the bowl of the wound, it cried again: 'Why do you tear me? Is there no pity left in any soul? Men we were, and now we are changed to sticks; well might your hand have been more merciful were we no more than souls of lice and ticks.' As a green branch with one end all aflame will hiss and sputter sap out of the other as the air escapes- so from that trunk there came words and blood together, gout by gout. Startled, I dropped the branch that I was holding and stood transfixed by fear,...””
About This Quote
Source Literature: The Divine Comedy, Inferno, Canto XXIV
A vivid allegory of cruelty and suffering, showing how pain reveals hidden truths and forces confronting the source of harm.
In simple terms: Pain reveals truth and forces confrontation.
Key Takeaway
Acknowledge suffering to learn.
Themes
suffering
truth
confrontation
compassion
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- psychological trauma
- conflict resolution
- ethical decision making
Key Concepts
allegory
metaphor
spiritual insight
Questions to Reflect On
- What hidden truths does your pain reveal?
- How can compassion alter the cycle of suffering?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may obscure literal meaning for some readers.
